College Fair Argumentative Essay

Walking down the hallway, I spot the neon-yellow posters scattered down the walls. My eyes focus on the giant text that makes my head spin; it says, “College Fair”. The sign says not more than six words, but it seems as if thousands start to flood my head. I think of everything that sign represents: the testing, classes, clubs, essays, and many more aspects that must be completed. How can a piece of paper, so thin, so insignificant, taunt me? All exaggeration aside, these thoughts are real, daunting ideas that many high-schoolers have to face as they consider college. It seems as if these students must be in two places at once, where one is the present and one is the future as it is getting closer by the second. Throughout their high school

Although the internet provides what seems like thousands of websites to help students find the right college, the sites are counterproductive since most students that use them do not know what they are looking for. These websites attempt to narrow down your choices for colleges, but all they do is raise more questions: Do I want to move out of state? Does it matter to me whether or not it is a private or public school? Should I go to a large or small school, and what does it mean exactly? Personally, I did extensive research on what mattered to me, picked my top colleges, and then ended up deciding to change my future career, thus causing everything to fall apart. As a teenager, it is difficult when you are still not fully treated as an adult to make such a life-changing decision. Nonetheless, many students continue their search by browsing sources or guides, or they decide to go on college visits in order to understand what they are looking for and whether or not a college fits that standard. Assuming they can find an idea of what they want, there is more pressure added as they have to ask themselves, “ Can I even get into my dream

Either in or out of school, clubs can take up a lot of a student’s time. For example, I am in Student Senate and Student Council, and the clubs often meet during our study period at school. Also, for events such as Mini-Thon or school dances, I often spend a lot of time on decorations and planning. Many colleges expect students to not only be involved in these clubs, but to be leaders in them as well, which can take even more time. Another activity that can take up a significant amount of time is sports. Student athletes often play sports year round, whether they play multiple sports or play for the school as well as travel teams. With practices often taking up two hours after school as well as games that leave players arriving home at around 9:00 P.M. or later, at least half of your free time during a school week is gone. There is a similar case with other extracurriculars like theatre, band, chorus, or youth group. These events may not be solely done for the purpose of applying for college, since it is gratifying to help the school community and do things you love, but the pressure of doing these activities successfully and possibly excessively can be intimidating for students. Furthermore, admission officers want applicants to show leadership within the local community, which often entails volunteer work. Although many